Forgetmenot
by HiroAkemi
Summary: The gentle breeze rustled golden locks, honey orbs concentrating, no, more like analyzing the flower held between silver fingers. "Its a Forgetmenot." Saitama offered gently. Genos metal fingers rolled the flower between his thumb and index a moment. The feeling of forgetting something very important seemed to nudge him in the back of his mind. "Forget-me-not..."


Disclaimer:I have always wondered if there was a point to these things. I am obviously not making any money off of this story. I do not own OPM.

Summary: I still remember the look in his eyes, the recognition in those honey hues as he would praise me for defeating yet another monster with a single punch. I remember how the strength I had possessed seemed to only matter to me when he was there to protect. This, however, was foreign and it churned my stomach and so violently with the force of a typhoon my insides wrenched and I felt every beat pull painfully within my chest.

* * *

"Forgetmenot"

Thoughts

Words

"Speech"

Written to:

Haley Klinkhammer - In the cold

"You're a person and people easily break"

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Saitama's back became as stiff as a board, muscles tensing beneath clothes as a lone foot slid along the floor allowing him to take a single step back. His back pressing against the wall behind him, its coolness seeping into his skin through the cloth of his shirt; a sensation running through his spine gave his body a barely noticeable shiver.

Words...

Words were being spoken but somehow he could hear no longer as he tried desperately to purge the other's voice unconsciously to save his feelings from a further beating. A deep clenching pulled at his heart, a similar pain twisting in his gut as Saitama's prided strength began to fail him. His blood seemed to still in his veins as a hand lifted to his chest the fingers clenching into stark white cloth bunching the fabric beneath his grip twisting it into a wrinkled mess. What was left of the blush he had held upon his cheeks rapidly faded, the nervousness he held replaced by shock as his already pale skin became paler by the second.

Him, a man so strong and so capable and yet here he was nearly falling to his knees as they became weak beneath his body. An involuntary reaction he had not expected as the pain amplified with every drawn out word that slipped past, his heart beating painfully so, much so that the thought of ripping it from his chest seemed to settle at the edge of his mind.

The strong man's eyes never once looked up at the source of his despair, his dull hues wide and blankly staring instead at the ground just beyond the other's feet phasing in and out of focus. That deep pain piercing him again, twisting, churning behind his ribs.

How did it come to this

The loud ringing in his ears began to fade off into a gentle softness, the sound becoming distant to him now as it was instead replaced by a new sound, a familiar sound that pulled him back to the present reality. With great hesitation Saitama began to lift his face and he finally began to listen to the other present in the room once more. Lifting his eyes to the others face he tried to focus them, the initial shock still clinging to him as he shifted his body. His hand clenched tighter in the white cloth of his shirt in an effort to gain strength as he tried to brace himself for more, a mournful look taking over his features as the realization began to set in.

Is this what it's like?

A sad smile crept upon Saitama's lips as he stared up at the other refusing to make the effort to see, his thoughts fogged with the twisting that continued to creep upon his heart. Trying to rationalize, to explain to himself what he was hearing and hoping desperately that it was the opposite.

"I am sorry Sensei…" Saitama winced openly as his heart pulled again in pain, each beat causing him a sting of pain. In a futile effort to sedate this he clenched harder, his knuckles turning white at the pressure.

"I cannot return your feelings Sensei… I cannot love you for I am incapable of such a function." Genos spoke frankly, his voice almost trailing off at the end being very careful to choose his words wisely should he catch his Sensei's ire and yet there was finality in his voice. The Cyborg voice assuring that nothing could be between them and that nothing he could attempt to do would sedate the feelings that Saitama held.

Saitama nodded sagely, his mournful smile fading away as he features became calmer, almost as stoic and bored looking as normal. His grip loosened on his shirt and his hand fell to his side in a listless motion as he made great effort to lift his head once more and look back towards the other. To actually see him and focus on him in a desperate attempt to accept his words and to understand.

"Saitama sensei?" Genos took a partial step forward, his hand lifting as if to reach for the other but almost as soon as he had moved he flinched back; Saitama's forced smile causing him to press the hand against his metal chest in a gesture that almost seemed as if he had been burned.

"I understand Genos. It was just a joke, dude. Don't worry…" His words trailed off, a hand lifting to the back of his neck rubbing it slightly as he let a nervous laugh leave his lips.

Genos looked over the other man suspiciously a moment before he smiled faintly. "Ah… I will do better to recognize this next time Sensei." Genos seemed to have accepted his awful explanation of what had transpired and somehow Saitama deep down he was a bit glad about that hoping that he could save face and not disturb the friendship he had come to cherish any more than he already had.

"I'm... going to go shopping." Saitama stated flatly, his eyes never opening as he pushed from the wall and walked past Genos in a hurried shuffle and towards the front door.

Genos seemed to perk up a bit in excitement not realizing that the heaviness of Saitama's confession still hung in the air and that perhaps Saitama needed to be alone at that moment. "Shall I join you sensei?" Genos voice cut the awkward silence between them but Saitama only waved his hand behind him as if telling the other in a silent gesture it was not necessary.

"No, you can stay here." Genos nodded at Saitama's back knowing the other couldn't see him but knew what he was doing and that he understood. Saitama grabbed his hoodie pulling it on and quickly slipped on his shoes while not even bothering to look back at the other as he wished him off.

"As you wish, Sensei. Please enjoy."

Stepping out of the tiny apartment Saitama closed the door behind him before letting his body lean up against the wooden frame, a heavy sigh leaving him as the burden on his heart still held fast. Of course it was entirely his fault, he had a feeling for Genos and the other couldn't return those feelings. Even though he knew that and he knew that Genos could never love him he just couldn't help it when the words spilled from his mouth.

He took in another deep breath before letting it out smacking both of his cheeks in a futile attempt to pull himself together and it sort of worked. The urge to break down in tears, a feeling he had not experienced before Genos, being suffocated as he began to walk along his usual route to the local market sure there was a sale going on today and that it would help ease his mind.

It was sometime later Saitama found himself standing in front of the meat section, his basket in one hand and in his other he held a package of chicken staring sullenly at it. His eyes began welling with tears as he looked over the price for what was probably the twenty third time, attempting to will them away but rapidly losing the battle. He couldn't help it anymore; it was getting very difficult to keep them from coming which was something he was unaccustomed to and felt very uncomfortable with. His lack in ability to control what he couldn't understand rapidly becoming a curse as he internally berated himself for being as weak as he was acting.

Here he was probably the strongest man in the universe about to cry over a package of meat because his feelings were hurt. Lifting his arm to his face he wiped away the wetness from his eyes with the cloth of his hoodie before placing the chicken in his basket. He was becoming aware that people were beginning to stare to which he forced himself to move, a deep breath leaving him as hazy eyes turned towards another aisle, his body heading towards the check out.

Waiting patiently for his turn he tried to occupy himself with the magazines on the racks but it didn't help much, another heavy sigh leaving him as he stepped up and placed his things on the checkout counter.

"That'll be 3,647 yen." Saitama's hand shook while he gathered the correct amount of change, securing it and then handed it to the woman behind the counter with a shaky breath.

"Thank you for your business sir."

Saitama stuffed the coin pouch back into his pocket before grabbing his bags and leaving the store without another word. His journey back to his home silent as his thoughts wandered to Genos' reaction to his confession and after a few moments of his pace slowing he stopped dead in his tracks unable to stop the tears from flowing anymore.

Maybe it was better this way.

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Thanks


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